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The land was passing too fast for her liking. As they made their way over the ocean, they were flying incredibly fast. Of course, for someone who isn't used to flying, it was worse than that. It was even a little frightening. By their side, a duck flew at speeds never before achieved by its species. It wasn't a regular duck either, but it wasn't any less impressive. Hugging for dear life, Nodoka Saotome had watched the world pass several hundred feet below. Mountains, rivers, forests, and now the ocean. It all passed quickly. The wind had long ago undone her hair, and it flowed freely behind her. She now understood why Kima had her hair either free or in a ponytail. If she ever needed to fly, any other hairstyle would become a mess. And she understood her daughter-in-law enough to see that she loved flying. It was a feeling Nodoka couldn't hope to understand, and she knew she would never do.
Nodoka was quite impressed, as well, with the stamina Kima had. Flying with someone on her back for hours hadn't put any significant strain on the winged woman. Nodoka could see a thin sheet of sweat on her features, or what she could see of them, but it was far less than what she expected. She herself was tired of the trip, which had been long by any standards. They had planned to reach the coast of China in one day, and then take on the remaining distance to reach Mount Phoenix. *We need to be rested in case someone tries to stop us.* Nodoka thought to herself. If only the amazons were against them, they could travel through the neutral zones between them and the Musk, but the whole territory was enemy ground.
Deep on the horizon, a shape started to appear over the waters. "China." Nodoka whispered to herself. She had expected to visit the country sometime, but with different objectives. Activities along the lines of visiting the historic sites and spending peaceful time with her family. Of course, fighting alongside her son to protect Kima's people was an honorable thing to do, and she liked to live an honorable life. But the prospect of a war was never something to look forward to.
Kima heard Nodoka's words, and started to fly lower. Her eyes were very good at day, but at night she had a more limited vision. At least for long distances. She felt Mouse following her, and she made her descent more pronounced. No use in coming in at night if someone noticed they were here. It would ruin the whole purpose of making such a long trip in so little time.
Nodoka gasped as she felt they started to go down. But that wasn't much compared to what happened next. Kima folded her wings and dove down. The Saotome matriarch would have cried in fear if it wasn't for the fact that the wind silenced her yelling before it could escape her lips. She saw as the water came closer and closer at speeds any skydiver would kill to achieve. As they were about ten feet over the surface, Kima opened her wings wide. She corrected the flight and avoided dunking in the ocean water for mere inches. Nodoka had been on rollercoasters before, but nothing could compete with this. As she felt Kima open her wings, the next was simply too much. Feeling disoriented, she lost her balance and could only hug Kima tighter, making sure not to fall. A fall at these speeds, even in water, could easily kill a person.
Kima felt as Nodoka hugged tighter and cursed herself for a fool. *I should have known better. Nodoka is not used to flying.* The change in air pressure was enough to make a person lose consciousness. It spoke greatly of Nodoka to be able to hold on during such a maneuver. She decided to fly a little slower now. Partly to let her companion regain her senses, and partly because if she flew too fast, someone could hear the flapping of her wings. She smiled as she noticed Mouse had no trouble following her. He fell a little behind, but still kept on. *Mouse has really gotten used to his cursed form.* She felt Nodoka start to look around, and she said. "As soon as we reach the shore, we need to find a place to make camp. It's almost dawn."
Mouse had already made it to Kima's side, and as she said that, he quacked in the affirmative. He was very tired from the trip, and would welcome a good night's sleep. Keeping up with Kima was particularly exhausting, more so since his wings were a lot smaller.
Nodoka started to look around, making sure she was still in one peace. She relaxed when she noticed they were flying about two feet from the water, and they were a lot closer to the shore. When Kima said something to her, she heard Mouse quack twice and smiled. They had decided for Mouse to be able to communicate simple answers of yes and no with a code. Two quacks were a yes. She nodded, though she knew the others could not see the gesture, and said. "You're right." She turned around, where the sun would appear in a few minutes. The horizon was already clearing. Looking forward, she asked. "How long till we get there?"
"Five minutes, maybe less." Came the answer.
Nodoka turned around once again. "That's not good enough. It won't take long for sunrise." Kima knew it to be true, but they had to reach the shore flying. She was carrying too much weight to swim.
Narrowing her gaze, the winged woman studied the terrain in front of them. There was a sharp cliff to her left. That would make a good surveillance spot, so she started flying to her right. Her flight pattern wasn't at random either. She slowed and fastened her speed, trying to get her white wings stay close to the foam of the waves, so they could lose themselves. Mouse did his best to stay close to Kima, though he was feeling the strain of flying for so long. He loved the feeling of flying, of the freedom, but also knew that too much flying and no rest wasn't as much fun. He looked all around, and understood Kima's choice of direction. A cliff would be a bad point to make camp, and they could be spotted if a surveillance party was posted up there, while they were headed to a small forest. It was probably half a mile from the beach, but they would make it. They were close to the shore now, when Mouse sniffed the air and frowned as best as a duck could. He quacked four times to get Kima's attention.
Nodoka turned to him, while Kima eyed him without turning her head. "What is it, Mouse?" Asked Nodoka. Her voice was a little more than a whisper, knowing full well they were very close to land now. Even if they were still away from the beach, they needed to be careful. Mouse sniffed the air again. "Something in the air?" Mouse quacked in the affirmative. Nodoka frowned, while Kima started looking everywhere. She didn't expect to smell whatever Mouse detected. The master of hidden weapons had incredibly developed his senses since he stopped using his sight. She looked to the area in front of her, and noticed a small line of smoke that emerged from the beach. She pointed at it for Nodoka to see it. "Enemies?" Asked the older woman.
Kima narrowed her eyes. The fire was expertly made. If she hadn't been looking for it, she would have missed it. Knowing of only two kinds of people that did things with such subtlety gave her the answer to Nodoka's question. "Yes." Was the flat reply.
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"'I can't believe they gave us this guard!'" Exclaimed a young woman. She was holding a spear with a grace that denoted her knowledge in its usage. She had long green hair in two ponytails. Six other amazon warriors sat around the fire, waiting for the time to be relieved of their duties on this beach.
"'Calm down, Pa Fum.'" Answered one of them. She, as the others, had a sword on her belt. They were all wearing armors, enough to protect themselves, but not enough to slow their moves. As they sat around the fire, they had been talking about the war. It had been a surprise for the entire village when the elders of the council made a truce with the Musk. The two villages had been enemies for more time than they could remember. Meeting with the Musk, some of the girls were surprised about their enemies. Herb's subjects were well trained and had no problem with killing an enemy. Allying with them to destroy the people of Mount Phoenix had been, so far, a good idea. If they destroyed Saffron and his people, they could settle their score without fear of the winged people taking advantage.
It had been that way for a long time. The three were deadly enemies, but refused to take definite action because that would weaken them, and then the third party would take advantage and destroy them. The alliance was good for the amazons. They could still remember what happened about a year ago. They had attacked a small village, intent on gaining territory. The village had grown and they needed lands to cultivate their food. The attack was lead perfectly, killing almost everyone. Then things got bad. Out of nowhere, the winged army attacked. Taken by surprise, the amazon party was nearly exterminated. Out of two dozens only seven returned to inform what happened. Thinking that Saffron had similar intentions for that land, and intending to take revenge, fifty fully trained amazons returned to the place of the carnage. They found nothing.
The elder accompanying the party reported no survivors at all, while the villagers that had been killed were given a proper burial. The bodies of the fallen amazons were burned to ashes. It came as a surprise to the elders, since they expected a fight to gain the lands, but Saffron didn't seem interested in them. If the amazons didn't know Saffron better, after all those years of war, they would think he came to the rescue of the people inhabiting the small village. But that was impossible. Saffron thought of humans as an inferior race.
The women were taken out of their conversation as they heard a sound of walking in the direction of the ocean. Assuming defensive positions and wielding their weapons, they all waited for the person to become visible. Since the sun was in the horizon, and this person was walking from the east, they could not distinguish his features. "'Stop right where you are and state your business.'" Demanded Pa Fum in a commanding tone. They were seven fully trained and experienced amazon warriors. Arrogance was a mistake Pa Fum's trainers couldn't take away from her. And having an amazon raiding party with you didn't help to correct it either.
The person continued on walking forward, not acknowledging the command. They could now discern it was a man with long black hair that was approaching. He lifted his right arm over his left shoulder and snaked it forward. Out of the seven amazons, only three managed to avoid the chains that emerged from the man's sleeve. The others fell to the floor, completely entangled and immobilized. "'Mutzu.'" Growled Pa Fum as she prepared to charge against the former amazon. Elder Kuh Lon had informed the council of Mutzu's betrayal of the tribe.
Pa Fum didn't fool herself as the elders, though. She knew some males were good fighters, and respected them as much as any other female, in the battlefield. One of the males she respected was Mutzu. His pathetic way of declaring his love for Xian Pu had made him into the town idiot, but some knew better. Even if he was an idiot around Xian Pu, and even with his poor sight, Mutzu was the true master of hidden weapons. Her reasoning was well founded, as she could see four of her companions, fully trained amazon warriors, defeated in a single movement from him. Tightening her hold on the spear, Pa Fum thought calmly to herself. *Even if he's good, there's still three of us. And he no longer has the advantage of surprise. I just have to distract him enough for the others to get free from the chains.* Allowing a small smile form on her lips, the amazon readied herself for a good fight. Even if Mutzu deserved respect, he also deserved to die after his treason. Before she could advance an inch, she heard two thumps from behind, and turned to see her situation had changed from difficult to desperate. A woman in a kimono and a member of the Phoenix people had downed her remaining companions. The woman carried a katana, while the winged woman carried a double-edged sword that seemed too heavy for her to handle single handedly. Both amazons had been taken by surprise, and neither knew what hit them.
Kima smiled at the effectiveness of their attack. Mouse was always full of surprises, so a surprise attack was, almost obviously, supposed to be started by him. She had to give it to her friend, he knew how to make an entrance. After the initial shock wore off from the amazons, they left an opening that Nodoka and her quickly took advantage of. They knew there were amazons on the beach, and Mouse offered himself to start the attack. He seemed troubled about fighting his own people, but he was resolute about it. Mouse would defend his friends with his life, even against his own family. Taking those thoughts out of his mind, the former amazon stared at an amazon warrior he knew in his earlier years. "'Greetings, Pa Fum.'" He said. He had his hands inside his sleeves, ready for any kind of attack that might be coming.
Pa Fum relaxed her stance, knowing full well that she didn't stand a chance. Not that she wouldn't try anything, but maybe she could make her opponents lower their guards. "'So it's true, Mutzu. You have allied yourself with our enemies.'" It was meant as an accusation, but she frowned when Mutzu didn't give signs of a reaction to her words.
Kima turned to Nodoka, who had her katana in its sheat by her side. "Cover Mouse while he talks to that woman. I'll take care of the rest of the amazons." Nodoka nodded seriously. She stared at the woman, ready to jump in if needed. Kima proceeded to tie the two unconscious amazons and brought them to the others. She was impressed by the precision of Mouse's attack. The ones he had captured were perfectly immobilized.
Pa Fum winced as Kima punched one of her fellow amazons, hard. The fool had spit at the winged woman, who simply wiped the saliva off and knocked the offender out. She would be lucky if she didn't wake up with a broken jaw. The others remained silent after that. Turning her attention back to Mutzu, Pa Fum asked. "'Now what?'"
Mouse heard the question. *Now what?* He hadn't thought what he would do if he took prisoners. They couldn't take them to Mount Phoenix, since they were flying and needed secrecy. He looked at the amazons in general, and reached a decision. "'Don't give us any trouble, and we'll leave you here.'"
The amazons in general seemed unbelieving. They fully expected for their captors to kill them. Kima saw their expressions and said. "'Yes, I would really enjoy killing you after all you've done to my people, but I won't spill blood if it's not necessary.'" She turned to Pa Fum, who still held her spear by her side. "'We can do this the easy way...'" She took her sword in her hand. "'...or the hard way. You decide.'"
Nodoka didn't understand a word, but remained on her task of looking with attention at the only free amazon. She didn't expect for her to do any move, but reason not always proved to be right.
Pa Fum knew Kima wouldn't hesitate to use her sword. It was something only true warriors could do. Take a life with no remorse. She herself had killed twice before, and it was in the battlefield. She would probably never kill someone who was defenseless, she simply couldn't. In the eyes of the Phoenix Guard, she recognized the will of a warrior, but also the honor of a soldier. It was a rare combination.
Mouse stood patiently, waiting for her to make the right choice. Nodoka remained in a relaxed stance, sensing the amazon wouldn't do something stupid. Pa Fum sighed and nodded. She let her spear fall to her side. Kima and Nodoka nodded to each other, and started to awaken the unconscious amazons. Mouse took a few steps forward, and placed his hand on Pa Fum's shoulder. "You did the right thing." If only Pa Fum could convince herself of it.
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It was past noon. As soon as Pa Fum surrendered her weapon, the amazons were taken to the small forest and tied to trees deep inside. Kima took the first guard, while Nodoka continued. When it was Mouse's turn, only Pa Fum was still awake. It seemed like the amazons had spent the entire night guarding the beach, fully expecting for someone to try and sneak in when it was dark. Mouse was sitting calmly, giving his back to the amazons. It was a weird feeling, but Pa Fum knew that he was attentively watching them.
The amazon replayed the events of the past hours in her mind. Something was amiss. Mutzu walking to them with the sun behind his back, his surprise attack. The women attacking from behind, closing the trap. It was a perfect strategy, but something still nagged Pa Fum's thoughts. Then it hit her, hard. *His glasses.* She remembered very well that Mutzu wasn't wearing his glasses, and yet he knew exactly where each amazon was. Taking a wild guess, Pa Fum kick a pebble to hit Mutzu's head. As the rock neared him, he gave no signs of reacting to the attack, then it happened. Mutzu simply tilted his head to the side, the pebble missing its target by mere inches. Pa Fum knew she had been right. "'So Mutzu, you have overcome your blindness.'"
Mouse smiled at the method used by Pa Fum. She had always been pretty direct in the amazon village. He didn't turn around as he said. "'Indeed. My friends helped me train without my glasses.'"
Pa Fum took his friends to be the two women he traveled with. It was strange that even though elder Cologne informed of the treason by Mutzu, she didn't say what had been of him. No information of his new loyalties, only that they were of Mount Phoenix. "'What happened to your love for Xian Pu?'" She teased, expecting to make him lose his cool. He had been perfectly collected the whole time, a rare sight to someone who knew him of the amazon village.
Mouse turned to Pa Fum with a sad smile. "'Kuh Lon didn't tell you anything, did she?'" The woman was taken by surprise by his question. Without waiting for an answer, Mouse continued. "'Yes, I allied myself with the people of Mount Phoenix. But that was because my friends have ties there, not because they are enemies from the amazons.'" The master of hidden weapons moved to be closer to her. "'How much do you know of Xian Pu's defeat to an amazon male?'"
Pa Fum didn't answer, since she hadn't placed much attention on it. She was two generations Xian Pu's senior, so she didn't participate in the tournament the purple haired amazon won. She had no interest in her. Mutzu surprised her when he said. "'She was to marry a Ranma Saotome, a Japanese martial artist.'"
"'Wasn't Ranma Saotome the boy who killed Saffron?'" She asked. She had heard of the legend. That particular fight, where a mortal defeated a deity. She once heard Xian Pu proclaiming he was her aireen, but she didn't take her seriously.
Mouse nodded. "'He is. He's also a person I've tried to harm in any possible way for years. Do you know how he repaid me?'"
Pa Fum Knew what was coming. It was too easy to infer it. "'He treated you as a friend.'"
Mouse nodded. "'Something no one ever did back in the village. My first real home was Nerima, and my first real family were Ranma and his friends.'" Pa Fum winced at the comment. Mainly because she knew it was true. Mutzu had a real hard life as an amazon. Given, he was the best male fighter of the generation, but he was still lonely. Mouse broke himself from the memories and smiled. "'Do you know who the Phoenix woman is?'"
Pa Fum didn't like Mutzu's smile. It promised another surprise, and she was starting to hate them. Her perfect amazon world was crumbling because of elder Kuh Lon's actions. Xian Pu should be punished for her failure in bringing Ranma Saotome as her husband. "'Who is she?'" She asked, afraid of the answer.
Mouse placed a hand on her shoulder. "'Relax.'" He didn't like seeing her so distressed.
"'It's not an easy thing to do when you're a prisoner.'" She tried to defend herself with. It already was uncomfortable thinking of her defeat, but now she was on the defensive with Mutzu.
Mouse took his hand back. "'Quite true. But you know we won't hurt you.'" He sighed and continued. "'As for who my travelling companion is, allow me to introduce Kima.'"
Pa Fum's face lost all its color. "'Kima? As in Kima, of Saffron's Royal Guard?'" The legends were inaccurate, but they stated quite clearly that before Ranma Saotome defeated Saffron, he fought against Lady Kima. It wasn't an easy fight for either of them, and in the end Saotome won out of sheer will power and skill. She turned to the winged woman with a wary eye. She slept so peacefully. But the truth revealed itself to the amazon. During their short encounter, Kima had remained completely collected, as if it wasn't something hard for her to do.
Mouse nodded. "'In Japan, she's also known as Kima Saotome.'"
If it was possible, Pa Fum's face became paler. Now she understood why Kuh Lon started the war. *That bitch!* She thought angrily. The whole alliance, the war, everything. It was just a distraction to save Xian Pu's hide and secure her family's position in the ruling council. The implications of a war against Saffron, Ranma and Kima weren't making her happy either. She didn't know how, but since Kima had married Ranma it was obvious he had somehow gotten into terms with the Phoenix. *But why did the council agree to this?* She didn't know what to think. Of course, she wasn't stupid enough to enter the village accusing an elder of treason. She would be skinned before she could blink. She focused her vision on Mutzu's eyes, and found nothing but truthfulness. He believed what he was saying. "'But why would elder Kuh Lon do such a thing?'"
Mouse shrugged. "'Your guess is as good as mine. But I don't think this is just for revenge against Saotome. She could have easily brought an amazon raiding party to take care of Ranma and Kima. Starting a way is not something I understand.'" Pa Fum started looking at her fellow amazons for any indication that they had heard the conversation. Mouse noticed, and said. "'Don't worry. What we have said is just between the two of us.'" He would have noticed if someone woke up.
Pa Fum eyed Mutzu with a new respect. She had thought of him as an idiot, just as everybody else thought of the blind boy, but he seemed to be thinking of everything. "'Why are you telling me all of this? You know I can go to the elders and inform them all you've revealed.'"
Mouse smiled. "'That you could, but you won't. As for why I'm telling you all of this, maybe because I'm bored and need someone to talk to.'" He sobered and said. "'You should rest. You seem to be tired.'"
Pa Fum suddenly felt all of her fatigue catch up with her. The conversation had completely distracted her from the needs of her body. She turned to a boy she thought of as a waste of skill in the martial arts. Not a boy anymore, though. "'You've changed, cousin.'" She said in a more relaxed tone of voice.
Mouse nodded. "'We all change. You've changed as well, even if you don't notice it, cousin Pa Fum.'" With this, he stood up and walked to check on the other amazons.
Pa Fum remained awake some more time. Studying her captor. The weak boy who was abused by the other children, the stupid boy who didn't get a clue with Xian Pu. He had matured. It seemed like he still had feelings, and strong ones, for Kuh Lon's heir, but he could control them. Her mother had once said Mutzu would grow up to be a great warrior. Everyone laughed at her. *You were right, mother.* She thought as a small tear ran down her cheek. Deep down inside, she knew her mother was looking at them from the afterlife. Pa Fum fell asleep without even noticing. Her tired body getting the better of her.
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Kima and Nodoka stood straight, waiting for Mouse to finish the preparations. It was almost sunset, and they still had some ground to cover. The amazons were still tied to the trees, but they had loosened their bounds so that they would be able to free themselves in a few minutes. Nodoka turned towards the east. "Do you think they're alright, Kima?" She had been apart from her husband and son for a day, and she already missed them.
Kima sighed. "I don't know. They shouldn't even be close to the shore just yet. Ranma wanted to train Genma a little so he would be able to keep up."
Nodoka smiled. "About time my lazy husband was in shape again." She blushed a little. "Not that I'm any better. We've both neglected our training."
Kima nodded. "But you will start training as soon as we reach the Mountain. You also need to learn Chinese."
Mouse walked to them. "Everything's ready." He announced with his usual calm.
Kima studied the amazons one last time and started walking out of sight. Mouse and Nodoka followed without another word.
In less than five minutes, the amazons were free from their chains. "'Let's go after them.'" One of them said. She started to walk in the direction they had left, when a hand landed on her shoulder and stopped her. Turning around, she saw Pa Fum shocking her head.
"'We'll never catch up. They're probably miles away by now.'" She stated as a matter of fact. "'Besides, we don't have our weapons.'" She knew Mutzu had taken them, and he wouldn't be bothered by the weight. God, only he knew how many weapons he carried. Before any of the others could protest, she said. "'Remember Mutzu has a Jusenkyo curse. He's able to fly, while the winged woman can carry the other one. All we can do is go report what happened.'"
A shadow covered all their faces. Going to the elders with this report would most probably earn them a punishment. Amazons weren't very forgiving when it came to failure.
END PART 7
Author's Notes: Well, this part was very short. Sorry about it, but I didn't know what else to add. On Part 8 we will deal with the other party's trip. I hope it turns out to be longer than this.
For those of you who were expecting the side story. I'm very sorry. I've discovered some very big mistakes that mess up the story line, so I'm rewriting it. I will most probably post it when all is said and done, since it's a continuation, kind of an epilogue, for this.
Well, I guess that's about it. See you in PART 8! |
